ARC DISCHARGE LAMPS

Working Principles
 PRESENTATION OUTLINE

•Introduction to Arc Lamps

•History of Arc Lamps
•How do Arc Lamps Function?
•The Basic Design of an Arc Lamp
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WHAT IS AN ARC LAMP?

• It uses electrical arcs to make light
• They are energy efficient compared to other lamps
• There are many variations of the arc lamp
• The electric arc in the lamp is similar to lightning
• Different gases or coatings in the lamp give different colours

1.0 Introduction
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WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

An old electric arc lamp A Xenon High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp
used in car headlights

1.0 Introduction
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WHERE DO ARC LAMPS COME FROM?

• 1675 - Jean Felix Picard noticed mercury in his barometer emitted light
when it was shaken

• 1705 – Francis Hauksbee showed that a vacuum tube filled with mercury
emits light when electricity is passed through it

• 1802 – Two scientists (Russian Vasily Petrov and British Sir Humphry Davy) at
the same time but at different places explained why the electrical arc
occurs in the vacuum tube

2.0 History
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SO HOW DO THEY WORK?

3.0 Working Principles